Wyland and his plates-gimee my money!

We blogged about this sad event last week. In terms of poor public relations "the artiste" Wyland dropped a media art bomb on California with all the expected results.

Now others in the blog world and even the LA Times has responded with a pithy Op-Ed skewering the artist in a way that only the LA Times can.

Here's a short outtake:

Wyland has his own nonprofit foundation and wanted 20% of the state's profits from his plates -- about $700,000 a year -- donated to it. He worked out a similar deal, for 10%, with Florida, but for California, this is a load of blubber. The Wyland plates have been prettifying cars for years, but the state Department of Motor Vehicles isn't a marketing tool for any individual's ventures, for profit or not. No commissions in return for the use of intellectual property.

"The whale tail is my art and my idea," Wyland spouted off to The Times. "I'm sticking up for artists' rights, for the common person."

Not that common people generally travel the world painting gigantic cetacean murals, but we get the concept. Wyland's donation of the license plate design, however temporary, was a terrific gift -- for the state, its drivers and for him. He's had thousands of free mini-billboards all over the freeways this last decade.

Editors note: Perhaps Wyland should invest in a few "Oompah Loopahs" to help him haul around that massive ego of his.

Wyland wants whale art lifted from license plate

Famed oceans artist Robert Wyland will announce at a news conference tomorrow that he is withdrawing his iconic image from one of California's most popular specialty license plates.

The plates, sold in California, have raised an estimated 40 Million dollars for California's Coastal Commission.

Now Wayland wants 20% of those funds to go into his own foundation changing his original agreement with the state. The Cal Commission has said politely told him they need every single dollar here in the state. California, like most states, is suffering from a 20 billion dollar budget shortfall. Unfortunately there's an old saying out there:

Money changes everything.

The well known commercial artist has financial agreements with the following organizations including the Wyland Waikiki Hotel:

Andrews McMeel American Zoo’s and Aquariums Blue Water Surfboards Busch Entertainment Corporation Chammyz Checks Unlimited Crystal Cathedral Deluxe Checks Discovery Communications Disney Consumer Products Eaglemont Press The Encore Group Fine Art Limited, Fine Art Licensee for 2008 Olympics First Commemorative Mint Global Wireless Entertainment Health Communications Inc. Home Shopping Network Hudson Group Laguna Canyon Winery Legoland Martin F. Weber Company Maui Divers MeadWestvaco The Michael Weems Collection MM Fab National Education Association NEXCOM Pin USA Princess Cruise Lines Real Networks Room Service Amenities Seapics.com Scripps Institution of Oceanography Smart Practice Starlight Originals Tatouage Teacher Created Resources Triton Hotel U Click Uncas USAopoly Wahoo’s Walter Foster Publishing World Wildlife Fund Wyland Waikiki Hotel

Perhaps leaving behind a solid legacy of "good will" with Californians would be a smart play. Someone should remind him of that.